The National Football League is easing its television blackout policy, but Chargers fans likely won’t see a change this season.

By July 15, teams can reduce the number of general tickets that need to be sold in order for a game to be locally televised, lowering the threshold by as much as 15 percent. In the past, a team was required to sell all its general admission tickets (about 56,500 in the Chargers’ case) within 72 hours before kickoff, or the game wouldn’t be televised within a 75-mile radius.

There is a catch, however.

If a team lowers the bar for blackouts, the number is fixed for the season. Whenever the team clears the mark, it will be required to share more ticket revenue than usual with other teams in the league. It’s that part of the new rules that the Chargers believe would be too high a price to pay, said A.G. Spanos, the team’s executive vice president and chief executive officer.

"And even if you went to 15 percent lower, hypothetically an 85 percent manifest, that doesn't necessarily guarantee you a lift of the blackout for every game," Spanos said Monday. “It's also important to understand that the manifest is set for the year for every game, whether it's a big game for us or a game with a less attractive opponent.

"It's not a flexible policy. It's not a flexible manifest."

Ticket sales can be a franchise’s life blood.

Spanos said the Chargers rely heavily on season-ticket revenue because Qualcomm Stadium is an older facility; it opened in 1967.

“We don't have as many opportunities to get revenue from other places like naming rights, signage and other sponsorship opportunities,” Spanos said.

Of the NFL’s 256 regular-season games in 2011, there were 16 blackouts. San Diego had two of them, one against the Miami Dolphins in October and the other against the Buffalo Bills in December.

Four games in 2010 were blacked out, snapping a franchise-record sellout streak of 48 games, playoffs included, dating back to 2004.

Blackouts don’t help a team from a financial or public-relations standpoint, and the Chargers hope to further reduce the number this year.

The team hasn't raised ticket prices for five seasons, and in 2011, it lowered the cost of 6,500 View Level seats from $63 to $54.

Spanos, naturally a salesman, says season tickets have more yearlong value in the past, given perks like contests, Chargers Park tours, and conference calls with different Chargers personnel, including players and coaches. When the team opens training camp this month, some practices will be open exclusively to season-ticket holders.

The number of season-ticket payment installments has also increased to five.

According to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news, owners voted to add high-speed wireless Internet to all stadiums in an effort to add home-like services to the game-day experience.

The league also will begin showing the same replays in stadiums that game officials see when reviewing plays, the Journal report said.